Celebrating the 4th of July down in E.I.!!

Wow! Five beautiful, hot days at the beach with family and friends...who could ask for more?! We are blessed. Rather than give a day by day account of our adventures I think it would be best to describe the highlights. Our friends Pam and Bruce and their youngest son Aidan took the 14 hour drive down to Emerald Isle, NC with us on Wednesday. Our goal was to spend time with our daughters and BIKE, which we did everyday. Pam is planning on riding from Miami to Key West with us so these training days are perfect. The cast of characters on cycles varied everyday, but we covered the island from end to end several times racking up approximately 125 miles amongst us. We met locals at an ocean side coffee shop who are saving a chair for Joel (or Bruce, whoever gets there first!) We enjoyed a frosty Landshark on the fishing pier. Joel fixed 2 flats, one for Paige and one for Bruce who, God love him, rode almost 10 miles with that nail puncturing his tire, tube and rim!! We cooked up fantastic fresh meals to feed 10 as our good friends Bernie and her daughter Katie stopped in to play with us on their way home from Florida. We walked the beach everyday looking for sea glass (found tons) and turtle nests (no luck) and finally we ended the holiday with an oyster party on the Sound with our friends and neighbors, Phil and Korin, complete with fireworks in every direction. Our 14 hour drive home was successfully completed on Monday...only 25 days remain before we head out on THE RIDE!!!

Before and After in Saratoga...and turtle eggs in NC!

On Saturday we headed out to Saratoga to spend the day with Joel Rhein. He had planned out a 30 mile training ride for us which included hills and views of the Hudson River. It was a hot one, 90 at least, but there was a slight breeze and the sun was shining brightly! The first 6 miles were fine (except for Joel's flat...that makes 5 so far!) and then came THE HILL. Since Joel Rhein has youth on his side and a sleek road bike to boot, he just flew up the steep and winding incline. Holly did not fare so well and Joel, being the good soul that he is, stayed back to help and encourage her to keep going for the top. Once we got there the downhill was a blast and the Hudson is truly beautiful. Luckily the route was a loop so we did not have to climb any more mountains, and we made it back to Joel Rhein's house by late afternoon...just in time for a cheese and cracker party with his housemate Julia. A delicious dinner at Dine was compliments of Joel Rhein in honor of Father's Day. Thank you again!!

As we spent our day on the roads in and around Saratoga, Paige and her two friends Madison and Sarah, were walking the beach in Emerald Isle, NC searching for signs of sea turtle nests (they all really wanted to be climbing those hills with us we know!) As luck would have it, they discovered one and contacted the proper people to report it. All 106 eggs had to be relocated to a safer spot on the beach. In addition to volunteering for the turtle watch, the girls are all working and enjoying their summer down south. We will be seeing them soon as we are heading down for th 4th of July!

Ferocious Dog!

Our planned 80 miler turned into a 60 miler (which in Holly's book is still nothing to sneeze at!)due to several factors including one very scary black dog on Palmer Road on our way from Rome to Camden. Holly was in the lead with Joel directly behind when we approached a house on this back road that just didn't feel right. Sure enough, there was an unchained dog on the porch that let us pass then came charging...it's fur standing straight up and it's fangs bared. Joel's very loud NO usually works, but not with this guy. Joel couldn't get to his pepper spray easily either so we just peddled really fast and kept screaming NO. We got away but it rattled Holly; however not so much so that she couldn't enjoy an omelet at the new "Vittles" in Camden, a visit to our friend Maria in McConnellsville, and then a chicken salad sandwich at Gary's in Verona Beach! Joel is used to battling these dogs. A couple of years ago he was attacked on a similar road which left him with a bloody leg. The other thing that put a damper on the day was the on again off again rain showers, but we were able to keep our heads dry thanks to these nifty plastic bowl covers that fit right over our helmets (thanks Dad!).

Hamilton Reunions!!

On Friday night our friend Scott Brinitzer came up from Washington, DC to have a backyard picnic with us before heading to our alma mater, Hamilton College, for his 25th Reunion (Holly's 25th was last year!!) We had a great time catching up, and look forward to staying with him when we cycle through the Capitol Region in September!

On Saturday, despite some ominous skies, we decided to bike the 20 or so miles to the College for the All Alumni Barbecue. We donned our matching Hamilton Cycle shirts and just beat the rain. On the quad we bumped into friends and staff from years gone by. It was fun to see Mary McLean Evans who we will be seeing when we peddle through Wilmington, NC. Just as we were about ready to begin the journey home the heavens opened up again and delayed us 15 minutes or so. We agreed to take a more direct route home in case it rained yet again (which it did as Joel was fixing our fourth flat this year just outside of Westmoreland!) So, we have another 40 miles under our belt. The next outing is in the planning stages...a one day 80 mile round trip through Central New York. Stay tuned!

Camping can be...well, fun!

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Since we may be doing some camping during our two and a half month ride, we decided to give it a test run by packing up some gear and cycling to Southwick Beach on the shores on Lake Ontario. To give ourselves a little break, we drove up to Joel's office in Camden and headed out from there at 6:30 am on Thursday. What a beautiful day and what a terrific ride! Google Maps now provides directions for bicycles so our 47 mile route took us through many back roads and neat little communities. Joel saved a baby turtle from certain death by moving him out of the road and Holly befriended a spider who rode on her handlebar for several miles! We arrived at the campsite by late morning and met up with our friends, Ron and Fran, who were already set up. As Joel put up our tent we got quite a chuckle because although it says it is for two people, next to Fron's, it looked puny! After a long walk on the nearly deserted beach, Fran provided us with a spectacular, gourmet picnic complete with spiedies, fresh fruit, and other cold salads...again the reward at the end of a long ride is a great meal! We had the traditional campfire then a somewhat fit full sleep...got to get this camping part down!

Anyway, morning always comes and with it a good cup of coffee. After breaking down what little we brought, it was back on the bikes and homeward bound. For variety, and as it turns out, a challenge, we decided on a different route home. Let's just say two words; ROLLING HILLS! After joyfully screaming down several then cursing and groaning up some more it became apparent that they just weren't going to go away. We stopped counting at twenty five or so...not kidding! As is always the case, however, there were high points to the day. We came across a slightly off tune guitar player who serenaded us with Jimmy Buffett and Tom Petty songs at the beach at Selkirk Shores. We ate amazingly delicious oatmeal raisin cookies at a General Store on Route 3 in Mexico, and we thought we caught a glimpse of Joel Rhein shadowing us as we saw two yellow Bajas,(with the rack lights!)one in Lacoma and one in Amboy. Speaking of shadowing, Holly's parents have jumped on board for the trip and will be our official SAG wagon providing us with support and good times along the way! Today's ride racked up another 58 or so miles and both of us felt it in our quads. It is all good, though, and we plan to ride again over the Memorial Day weekend.

About the East Coast Greenway...

Since the weather has been chilly, rainy, and even snowy we haven't been biking too much (well, alright, Joel has but Holly has been going to the gym instead!) so I thought I would educate you all on the ECG and why we have chosen to ride in support and awareness of their efforts. The Greenway Alliance is a not for profit organization that was founded in 1991 with the intention of creating an urban path for non motorized human transportation linking major cities along the Atlantic Coast from Maine all the way down to Florida. As of late 2009, 24% of the nearly 3,000 miles has been completed off road. The rest of the Greenway is a network of roads that connect cities to cities, cities to suburbs, and suburbs to rural areas. In essence the Greenway is much like an urbanized Appalachian Trail.

The Greenway relies a lot on volunteers to maintain trails, report any condition changes to Greenway users, monitor signage, and update cue sheets. This is where Joel and I come in. As we make our way south on the roads and trails we will take notes on any problems we encounter and suggestions we may have to improve the Greenway for future cyclists. In addition we can heighten awareness of the Greenway by sharing our story with people we meet along the way so they can begin to take advantage of the trails in their communities. You all can help as well by checking out the Greenway website at www.greenway.org and possibly become a member, donor, or volunteer! The benefits of the Greenway are especially significant these days because it reduces roadway congestion and provides a safe transportation option for cyclists, walkers, and the wheelchair bound. It also enhances local economic development and curbs the demand for fossil fuel while improving the air quality!

What a blast we had this weekend!

It all started on Friday night when we bumped into Tom and Patti Bates at the Delta Lake Inn and had a celebratory toast to her 39th(!!) birthday. We then went home and packed up our panniers and tuned our bikes for our first official training ride which began at 10 am on Saturday morning. Our destination...an overnight at The Canalside Inn in Little Falls, about 40 miles. It was sunny and surprisingly warm; a perfect day for a cycle! We took the canal trail from "Pic and Pay" in Oriskany all the way to Utica. Along the way we raced a train...we lost... and a motorized inflatable boat in the canal...we won! Holly had a flat tire and while Joel was fixing it a terrific cyclist named Donna stopped by to see if she could help. In fact she did by giving us accurate directions through Utica and onto old route 5S. She rode with us for awhile then branched off on her own. We encountered another biker in Herkimer, a Brit, who rode with us as well as we all searched for the trail again. We never found it but we did come across the neatest old cemetery and church! We finally arrived at the Inn by late afternoon and were welcomed by James the chef/owner. Needless to say it was time for some Cupcake (by the way, Happy Anniversary to Adam and Maria!) and some cheese and crackers! Dinner was delightful; I had duck and Joel had veal and we shared a coconut creme brulee. 6 am came early on Sunday but alas we had to get back in the saddle (ouch!) After breakfast at the cafe next door to the Inn we headed home. The ride home, for whatever reason, took alot less time but was just as enjoyable, however not without mishaps. On route 5 approaching Utica one of our panniers literally flew off the back of Joel's bike and on the Oriskany Trail Joel had two, count em, two flats! Since we were clean out of extra inner tubes Holly rode the rest of the way home to get the Flex while Joel tried to patch the hole...no luck. So I guess these training rides are teachable moments but they are also a ton of fun!! Thanks to Tom and Erv for taking care of the dogs while we adventured:) One last thing; Paige, you would have loved the wildlife we saw: several red winged blackbirds, a plethora of sunbathing turtles, geese galore, a trail trotting turkey, a kamikaze chipmunk which Holly almost ran over, a live snake, several dead snakes and tons of other road kill:(

Joel has some repairs to do and we will be back on the road. Stay tuned!